Combined collection and delivery letter-box



(No'ModeL) V v w. BUSSA'RD. COMBINED COLLECTION AND DELIVERY LETTER BOX.

No. 472,105. Patented Apr. 5, 1892.

gmvewtoz I j jf v'zzz am Bwfifdrd 351 1150 mummy NITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE,

WVILLIAM BUSSARD, OF PORT JEFFERSON, OHIO.

COMBINED COLLECTION AND DELIVERY LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,105, dated April 5, 1892. Application filed April 14, 1891- -Serial No. 388,858. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BUSSARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Port Jefferson, in the county of Shelby and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Thisinvcntion relates to mail-boxes which are designed both for the reception of mail to be delivered to the carrier and deposited by the carrier for the occupant of the house to which the box is applied, and aims to provide a box which will have separate and independent compartments for the incoming and the outgoing mail and for newspapers and periodicals and which will be dust and water proof.

The improvement consists of the peculiar construction and combination of the parts and to such novel features as will be hereinafter more fully described, and which are pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail-box embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a central cross-section. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the chute and the door on a larger scale, showing the operation of the door by dotted lines.

The mail-box is provided with a slanting top and comprises three compartments A, B, and O. The compartment A occupies the upper portion of the box and extends over the compartments B and O in a horizontal direction. The compartments B and O in the lower portions of the box extend in a vertical direction and have openings at their lower ends, which are closed by the doors F and G, respectively. Spring-locks H, such as used by the mail-service, will be provided for each door F and G and will be secured to the bottom of the box, the key being thrust through the said bottom when opening the lock. The doors F and G and the sides of the compartments B and O are provided with sight-openings, which are covered by glass. By means of these openings it may be readily ascertained whether mail is in the box or not without opening the doors. One of the compartments, as B, is used as a delivery-box, the other compartment 0 being the collection-box. Papers and periodicals are deposited in the compartmentA,whichisthepaper-box. Onehalf of the cover or lid to the paper-box is hinged and is held closed by the spring-catch a. The beveled strip E above the doors F and G serves to shed the water.

Each of the compartments is provided with a slip-opening for the insertion of mail-matter, and this opening is closed by a weighted flap, which is journaled midway between its upper and lower edges and which opens 1nward. The mail to be placed in the box is thrust against the upper portion of the flap, which turns on its journals and permits the passage of the matter into the box. The portion of the box immediately below the slipopening to the paper-box A is depressed to receive the lower half of the flap H, which comes flush with surface of the box. The cross-bar it limits the inward motion of the flap. The slipopening to the boxes B and O are each provided with a downwardly-inclined chute I, which has a vertical flange t at the upper end of the lower side to overlap a portion of the box and form a stop and which is provided at the ends and the top of the letter-slip opening with extensions, which form a hood and protect the flap J from the weather.

The flap J is journaled at its ends midway between its top and bottom edges to the end extensions of the chute I, and its upper edge is curved in to clear the upper side of the chute when opening the flap and to form a stop to limit the movement of the flap when opened. The lower edge of the flap closes against the vertical flange t'.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A mail-box comprising a horizontal paper-receiving compartment, two vertical mailreceiving compartments below the paper-compartment, the several compartments being separate and independent of each other and each having a slip-opening which is closed by a flap and a door, and a door for the removal of the deposited mail-matter, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a mail-box, of a separate and independent chute secured to the sides of the chute and constructed to open the box and inclining inwardly and downinward, substantially as shown and described. to ward] y and having its top and sides projected In testimony whereof I affix my signature in beyond the exposed side of the box to form a presence of two witnesses.

5 housing, and a flap weighted at its lower edge WILLIAM BUSSABD.

and adapted to overlap the end of the lower Vitnesses: side of the said chute and be limited in its ALLEN RIDDLE,

movement thereby and pivoted at its ends to ISAAC BEESON. 

